Performance Evaluation of Solar-Powered Atmospheric Water Harvesting Using Different Glazing Materials in the Tropical Built Environment: An Experimental Study

Husam S. Al-Duais, Muhammad Azzam Ismail, Zakaria Alcheikh Mahmoud Awad and Karam M. Al-Obaidi
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Husam S. Al-Duais: Department of Architecture, Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
Muhammad Azzam Ismail: Department of Architecture, Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
Zakaria Alcheikh Mahmoud Awad: Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
Karam M. Al-Obaidi: Department of the Natural and Built Environment, College of Social Sciences and Arts, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield S1 1WB, UK

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 9, 1-19

Abstract: Water scarcity is a global issue, and its severity is expected to worsen in the near future, prompting further efforts to find new sources of freshwater. Solar-Powered Atmospheric Water Harvesting (SPAWH) is a promising passive approach for atmospheric water generation. This study aims to examine the thermal performance of different glazing materials and water production in SPAWH. The research consists of two phases: a laboratory test of various glazing materials and an experimental study to assess system efficiency in producing water in the tropics. The preliminary results indicated that glass demonstrated better thermal performance than acrylic in the lab, with higher thermal conductivity and less heat loss. The experimental findings showed that the maximum water produced by the proposed SPAWH (60 cm length, 60 cm width and 30 cm height) placed on a 30° tilt angle using glass (3 mm) and acrylic (3 mm) was 0.61 L/m 2 /day and 0.44 L/m 2 /day, respectively. The cost analysis revealed that produced water costs $0.18/kg for glass and $0.40/kg for acrylic, respectively. Atmospheric water could be harvested using SPAWH in the tropics, which would help to provide new opportunities for sustainable water supplies and development in these regions.

Keywords: water generation; atmospheric water harvesting; desiccant materials; solar still; tropics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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